Accenture's Global Financial Services Consumer Study finds consumers largely willing to provide more personal data to reduce what they pay for financial services, while 64% of respondents said they are open to safe-driving discounts for auto insurance. Companies that expand their data collection "need to have the right trust dynamic" and seek consumers' permission for gathering information, said Accenture's Jean-Francois Gasc.

Volvo plans to begin including cameras and sensors in its vehicles beginning in the early 2020s as a monitoring system to help detect and curtail drunken and distracted driving. The system "could involve limiting the car's speed, alerting the Volvo on Call assistance service and, as a final course of action, actively slowing down and safely parking the car" as intervention measures, the automaker said.

A group of 125 people marched to Florida's Capitol on Wednesday and gave lawmakers a petition with 10,000 signatures calling for changes to assignment of benefits. "This strong show of solidarity sends a loud message to lawmakers that something must be done to stop assignment-of-benefits abuse, and it must be done this session," said David Hart, executive director of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

The risks posed by spring rain, melting snow and levee breaches mean that severe flooding could last for weeks, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said. Small businesses affected by the Midwest flooding might lack insurance coverage for flood damage or business interruption, and "demand surge" could lead to higher materials and labor costs amid recovery, said Martha Bane of Gallagher.

Technology including satellites, mountaintop cameras and artificial intelligence can assist in detecting and forecasting wildfires, experts said at an event in California. Also crucial is better communication, which should involve more reliable cellphone networks to ensure residents receive wildfire alerts and that firefighters have real-time data, the experts said.

A survey from Seyfarth found 69% of commercial real estate executives are concerned about a cyberattack, up significantly from 46% last year. The trend toward "smart" and "green" buildings increases cybersecurity risks, three attorneys write.

As the current commercial real estate cycle enters its late stage, many investors are becoming more conservative in their acquisitions and underwriting. "Fundamentals are still strong and there are pockets of growth, but that growth is not consistent across all sectors, and we're starting to see some defensive positioning creep in," said Jonathan Geanakos, JLL's president of the Americas capital markets group.

Cities along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers are facing what could be the most severe flooding since 1993, with rain and snowmelt as key contributing factors. The flooding is expected to continue affecting Midwestern states into next week, according to the National Weather Service.

The Florida House Insurance & Banking Subcommittee has advanced a bill that would let insurers sell policies that restrict or forbid assignment of benefits, with discounts available for such policies. The Senate AOB bill does not include such provisions, and the two bills also diverge on the issue of attorneys' fees.

Buyers of credit, housing and employment ads on Facebook will soon see changes in targeting capabilities under a discrimination-litigation settlement that also requires the company to pay about $5 million. Facebook said it has "removed thousands of categories from targeting related to protected classes such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religion" and that it will give civil rights advocates access to monitor its systems.